(Newser)
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The Vatican, in the latest sign that this is not your daddy's Catholic Church, appears to be opening its arms to gay and divorced Catholics, urging its priests to make "courageous pastoral choices" that are inclusive to a bevy of family models outside the traditional one. The shift is part of a rough-draft report coming out of a two-week synod aimed at familial issues, reports the New York Times, and the bishops gathered are advising that the Church do things like find "positive aspects of civil unions and cohabitation" and embrace "those who participate in (the Church's) life in an incomplete and imperfect way, appreciating the positive values they contain rather than their limitations and shortcoming."

While a Church official emphasizes that the report is "a work in progress," NPR notes that Pope Francis stirred "heated debate" on the issue of divorced Catholics earlier this year, and asked a moderate cardinal to address his peers. "And many people say this is not the God of Jesus, because Jesus was very merciful—he forgives us—and the church does not," says German Cardinal Walter Kasper. When the pope himself was asked last year about it, he replied, "I believe that this is the season of mercy." A complete report is due next week, and while the Times notes that it's unlikely to toss doctrine on its head, this change in tone will reverberate in parishes globally.

So we have the angry atheists who don't want to see change, because they may have to reevaluate their push to have us all believe in NOTHING. Then there are the Pope haters, who are also probably Obama haters, they are hung up on hate more than anything else. If we are going to talk about a guy named Jesus as the real head of any church, we should at least follow his example of inclusion, rather than exclusion. Christians, are not Puritans, a harsh people who judged, rather than leave the judging of others to the Lord. Christians should be taking care of one another and concentrate on making peace with all people. This is what Christianity is about. It is not about a bunch of crabby uppity people, judging others and ignoring their own transgressions.

Tology

Oct 14, 2014 8:54 AM CDT

They must have figured out how much disposable income successful gay people have and they want a share.